This blog was created for Niles Animal Hospital & Bird Medical Center by Peter S. Sakas DVM in an effort to provide information & discussion about animal related issues. It may move into some eccentric directions on occasion if the mood strikes me as I get more comfortable in this form of communication. I am open to suggestions & comments about the blog. Also view our hospital website www.nilesanimalhospital.com or Facebook page Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Electronic Cigarettes are Toxic to Pets

Electronic Cigarettes are Toxic to Pets

Authored by:
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, PhD, DABVT, DABT

Electronic cigarettes, often called e-cigs, are marketed as an
alternative to cigarette smoking. They are also referred to as personal
vaporizers or electronic nicotine delivery systems. These devices are a
cylindrical body that holds a cartridge containing a liquid solution;
some resemble a tobacco cigarette. The solution, termed “e-liquid” or
“e-juice,” contains a base material, flavoring compounds, and nicotine.
The base material is generally propylene glycol and either vegetable
glycerin or polyethylene glycol.

Glycerin and propylene glycol are of low toxicity when eaten, but the
amount in the refill bottles (usually 10-30% of what's in the bottle)
is low enough to not be much of a concern; nicotine is the bigger issue.
Whether any of the compounds used are toxic if inhaled long term is not
known.

Some e-cigarettes can be reused (left), and some are disposable (center). E-juice is bottled (right). Photos by VIN.

The nicotine levels in these e-liquids can vary in concentration from
being completely nicotine-free up to 36 milligrams per milliliter
(mg/mL) of nicotine. For marketing purposes, the “/mL” part is
frequently dropped, and the e-liquids are advertised as having X mg of
nicotine rather than X mg/mL. In some e-cigs, the user controls the
amount of nicotine delivered by adjusting the flow of e-liquid from the
cartridge.

An e-cig with a full cartridge can contain up to 36 mg of nicotine,
which doesn’t sound like a lot until you factor in how toxic nicotine
is. Clinical signs of nicotine poisoning can be seen in dogs and cats
exposed to a mere 0.5 mg per pound of body weight. For cats and small
dogs, ingesting 20 mg of nicotine can be lethal.
Even more dangerous are the bottles of e-liquid that are used to
recharge the e-cig cartridge: the nicotine in these bottles can range
from 10 mL to 60 mL or more. So a 30-mL bottle of 36 mg/mL e-liquid
will contain 1080 mg of nicotine, more than enough to prove fatal for
even a very large dog if the contents are ingested.
Nicotine is readily absorbed by ingestion as well as through the
skin. Pets may be exposed when they chew up the e-cigs or the bottles
containing e-juice, or even when they walk through puddles of spilled
e-juice and get it on their paws. The signs of nicotine poisoning may
begin within 15 to 30 minutes of exposure to the e-liquid; in contrast,
signs of nicotine poisoning following eating tobacco products may take a
few hours as the nicotine must be released from the tobacco.

The first signs normally seen with toxic exposure to nicotine include:

Excessive drooling (hypersalivation)

Vomiting with or without diarrhea

Agitation or restlessness

Increased respiratory rate or panting.

With severe intoxications, signs may progress to include:

Excitation

Disorientation

Tremors

Twitching

Convulsions or seizures

Increased heart rate

Increased blood pressure.

Further progression of signs may result in profound weakness,
paralysis, abnormal heart rhythms (including cardiac arrest),
hypotension, coma and death.

Prompt and aggressive veterinary care is required to successfully
manage poisoning from e-juice exposure. Because the e-juice is rapidly
absorbed across the mucous membranes of the mouth, standard
decontamination measures such as inducing vomiting are usually not
helpful. Treatment includes managing convulsions and seizures, treating
heart and blood pressure abnormalities, ensuring adequate respiration,
and providing intravenous fluids to enhance nicotine elimination.

The
prognosis for patients exposed to large amounts of nicotine can be
quite grave depending on how quickly veterinary care is obtained, and
even with aggressive veterinary care some patients will not survive.

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